Chris Hogg described Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Coventry City as a ‘solid building block’ – but he admits his players ‘need more help’ as they look to improve their attacking play.

Cobblers competed well against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues, who are back in the Premier League this season, and were good value for the 0-0 draw in what was their second pre-season friendly.

"It was a good afternoon's work,” reflected Hogg. “We’re thankful for Coventry and Frank and their staff for bringing a good team down to play against us. It was another very good test for the boys out of possession and that’s been our focus at the start of pre-season.

"First and foremost we are trying to build a team that is hard to beat and I think you saw some signs of that today. You saw the quality of Coventry and how they're able to use the ball and they have various structures that can hurt you and gain control in the game, but the effort and the attitude of the boys was terrific, which was good to see, and it’s a solid building block for us.”

The focus so far for Cobblers has been their shape and organisation off the ball but that will now change as they head into the second half of pre-season.

Hogg added: "I wasn’t here when the fixtures were put in, that happened before I came in, but it does align with my thoughts because we’ve done a lot of physical stuff and it ties in nicely with that. That’s how I’ve always done it.

"We’ll start drip-feeding in the football more and more because I want the boys to be brave and courageous with the ball and go and play with it. Hopefully you will see more signs of that as we go through the next few weeks and months, but everything needs to be built on being hard to beat and today’s game tied in really well with the work we’ve done on the grass.”

Whilst pre-season should not be overly analysed, especially after two friendlies against superior opposition, the fact Cobblers have not scored yet will not be a surprise for supporters given last season’s travails.

"We need more goals in the team and central areas are key,” admitted Hogg. “Every manager has their own ideas when they inherit a new squad in terms of where you want to take it but it doesn't happen overnight.

"You can't get the team or the club to where you want it in one window but I'm really pleased with where we're at and there's work to be done to help the boys further. I want as many headaches as possible when it comes to picking teams.”

Saturday’s game was Hogg’s first experience of standing on the Sixfields touchline as Northampton Town manager.

"I enjoyed my first experience at Sixfields, even if it was a bit strange with so many away supporters,” he added. “I appreciate the fans for coming out and pre-season games are always nice for a variety of reasons, but I’m really looking forward to getting as many bums on seats as we can and it’s our job to create a good team that fights and scraps for three points every week.

“I'm really looking forward to getting started for real but there's lot to do before then."